Social Selling is Wrong!
- Cherry B
- Nov 28, 2016
- 2 min read
Yes you hear me loud and clear. Social Selling is actually WRONG! - literally. The very word "Selling" conjures images of sales people going after prospects and the rise of emotions of sales pressures.
How many times have you heard breakthrough methods of social selling that promises the world only to find out that the invested time and efforts are reaping mediocre results? Why is it so easy for others but not for you or your team?
No, it has nothing to do with bad Fengshui or the misalignment of the stars. It has very much to do with our interpretation and the mindset. Instead of focusing on the word "Selling", let's look deeper into the word "Social".
Wikipedia defines Social Selling as the process of DEVELOPING relationships as part of the sales process. They key word here being highlighted in bold. Developing means nurturing contacts or connections SINCERELY before you SOLVE their problems.
The incorrect myth of Social Selling is that it is a social platform that facilitates prospecting, probably replacing cold calling, to shorten the sales cycle.
It is important to note that while finding out details and understanding more about a prospect is a lot easier and possibly faster, developing a relationship requires TIME.
Very often, we hear sales people finding the name of a prospect and start picking up the dial, or sending an email to prospects as if they have been long lost friends.
Ian Altman, author of Same Side Selling, beautifully sums up the anti-selling of Social Selling. The article candidly mentions and elaborates some of the wrong tactics used by businesses that impacts them negatively, just because organizations perceive Social Selling in a different light.
"The incorrect myth of Social Selling is that it is a social platform that facilitates prospecting, probably replacing cold calling, to shorten the sales cycle."
So the next time you are on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc... think about the word "Social" and "Nurture". Nobody likes pushy sales people and don't fall into the trap of one.
Do you agree with this week's article? Share with us your thoughts.
Cherry-O!
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